Journalism of Courage
Hundreds of US federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting drive are being asked to return to work, after the General Services Administration (GSA) reversed course on sweeping staff reductions that left the agency “broken and understaffed.”
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, the GSA has given affected workers — who managed federal workspaces — until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement. Those who agree must report on October 6, effectively returning after a seven-month paid absence that in some cases cost taxpayers heavily, as leases continued on buildings the agency had slated for closure.
“Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed,” said Chad Becker, a former GSA official now representing landlords with government leases. He described the agency as operating in “triage mode” for months, blaming Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for pushing too far, too fast.
What is GSA?
Created in the 1940s to centralise the management of federal offices, the GSA oversees thousands of buildings. Starting in March, thousands of employees either retired early or resigned under buyout schemes, while hundreds more were dismissed outright. DOGE had identified the GSA as a prime target in its campaign to shrink government, aiming to cancel nearly half of its 7,500 leases and sell off federally owned properties.
But according to a report by AP, the scale of the cuts quickly backfired. The GSA’s headquarters staff was slashed by 79 per cent, portfolio managers by 65 per cent, and facilities managers by 35 per cent. In the chaos, 131 leases expired without the government vacating the properties, leaving taxpayers on the hook for steep penalties. Of more than 800 leases initially slated for termination, nearly 500 have since been spared. DOGE’s projected savings from cancellations, once touted at $460 million, have dwindled to $140 million.
